Today marks the second anniversary of Robert Jordan’s passing. Harriet described this morning in her hometown of Charleston as “a gorgeous day outside, a terribly sad one inside.”

It never ceases to amaze me at the amount of influence RJ had on all of us. Whether you’re a long-time fan of the series who visits all of the WoT websites, or a casual fan who has enjoyed his books over the years, think we can all agree that there was something incredibly special about the man. He loved his fans very much, and I know he very much looked forward to going on tour in order to meet as many of you as possible. He left us a wonderful gift in the form of his blog where he frequently would respond to a great number of fan questions and comments.

So today, while we all remember him, I propose we take Harriet’s often-given advice and look “Onward”. In order to pay tribute to RJ, we’re going to give away some prizes. There are two contests happening. One is just beginning, and one has just ended.

CONTEST: Win a free GATHERING STORM eBook

Tomorrow (September 17th) will see the release of the GATHERING STORM’s eBook prologue, What the Storm Means. It’ll cost $2.99 to purchase it, but for TEN (10) of you, it will be free. Those 10 winners will receive a free copy of the eBook, courtesy of Dragonmount.

All you have to do to enter is send an email to Contests@dragonmount.com with the subject line “Storm Contest” within the next 24 hours. (Deadline: September 17 @ 1:00 PM U.S. Pacific Time). One entry per real person, please. (Also, we ask, on the honor system, that you not get every member of your family / office / school to register just to increase your odds of winning. Let’s all play fair, oaky?)

The winners will be contacted via email and will receive their eBook prologue by the end of the day.

Recognizing the Dragonmount Staff

As I said above, Robert Jordan loved being a part of the WoT community. He loved the diversity of his fans, and the conversations and ideas we brought up. Whereas the WoT community extends beyond DM, the Dragonmount staff has played an important part in creating and maintaining a place where fans can gather and socialize. As near as I can estimate, there are about 40 people who help run DM. Too often they go unrecognized for their efforts, and so today I would like to acknowledge them. They consist of admins (Jennifer L, Kevin, Matalina, Empy, and Owen), forum moderators, podcasters, org leaders, division leaders, and writers on the ASK THE CHOSEN advice column. Dragonmount would not be possible without them. If you ever run into one of them, thank them for their efforts.

So in order to recognize them, I put their names into a nice, decorative bowl that used to live in Robert Jordan’s home office. (Picture Below) From there, I drew out names and awarded several prizes, including a increasingly-hard-to-find Heron-Marked Sword.

The winners of the staff contest were:

GRAND PRIZE: Heron-Marked sword: CUBAREY (Luis Rey)
2nd Prize: THE GATHERING STORM (signed by Brandon and Harriet): Virginia O’Connor
2nd Prize: THE GATHERING STORM (signed by Brandon and Harriet): claireducky (Claire Williams)
3rd prize: THE GATHERING STORM hardcover: Quisalas (Crystal Meere)
3rd prize: THE GATHERING STORM hardcover: Nynaeve (Nurit Nosgorodsky)
3rd prize: THE GATHERING STORM hardcover: Ayo

Congratulations to these staff members, and thanks to ALL of them for being such an awesome team.

Finally, speaking of fans, check out this video that Tor Books released last week. None of us got around to posting it on DM’s news page, but you may recognize it if you follow our Twitter account.

On October 27th, The Gathering Storm will be released around the world. Beginning at midnight that morning, Brandon Sanderson will kick off his month-long U.S tour. You can get the exact times and locations of each tour stop at this link.

For each one of the book tour events, Dragonmount will be recruiting approximately 4-5 Storm Leaders. Storm Leaders will get the rare opportunity to meet with Brandon and/or possibly Harriet in a casual setting before the actual book signing. Typically this will be at a nearby coffee shop, restaurant, or inside the bookstore cafe. Food and drinks will be provided, so there’s no cost to you. You’ll get the opportunity to meet with Brandon (and/or Harriet), and discuss whatever you guys like. You can also get your books signed and personalized in advance. The amount of time you’ll have to hang out will vary from city to city depending on Brandon’s schedule, but right now we’re estimating that it will be about an hour. And, of course, you’ll receive an Official Collector’s Edition 2009 Gathering Storm Tour T-shirt. (Oh yeah)

Brandon Sanderson and Harriet at the Robert Jordan Citadel Dedication (June, 2008)

In return for this opportunity, we’re going to put you to work. Each of the Storm Leaders will be asked to help document the event in different ways. Some Storm Leaders will take photos. Another will take notes and do a blog write-up for DM to share with the wider community. Some will hand out promotional material to people standing in line. If the bookstore needs help organizing lines, a Storm Leader will be there to help. If Harriet needs a glass of water, a Storm Leader will be there to take care of that. If Brandon sneezes, a Storm Leader will … nevermind. You get the idea.

Another important task for some of the Storm Leaders will be to get involved on our message boards, and on our Facebook group to help promote the event. We’ll probably ask that each “team” of Storm Leaders get together in person at the bookstore once before the event in order to work out the logistics and delegate tasks to be in charge of. You’ll be provided with a packet of more detailed guidelines once the teams are assembled.

What are you looking for in a Storm Leader?
First and foremost, we’re looking for people who are excited about this book release, and excited about meeting Brandon and Harriet. Because being a Storm Leader requires a lot of organization and initiative, we’re looking for people who are proactive and willing to work a little bit. Age isn’t a factor. In fact, we want to put teams together that have a diverse range of ages. If you have some good experience in organizing club activities, or have been a contributing member to the various online WoT communities, be sure to mention that in your application. Above all, tell us why you should get selected and why Brandon and Harriet might want to meet you.

What if I’m just a casual fan but still want to be a part of this?
No problem. You don’t have to have been a part of a WoT community staff for the last decade to get involved. As long as you’re willing to help with the tasks that need to get done, then we’ll consider you.

Who’s doing the selections?
Myself (Jason) and Jennifer Liang will be going through the applications and putting together interesting and diverse groups. We don’t accept bribes, and we hope you won’t hurt us if you’re not selected. We’re expecting a pretty big turn-out of applications. Everyone will get a fair shot. We might even save some open slots to be filled by random selection.

Okay, so how do I apply?
We are now accepting applications. To apply, fill out the web form below. You cannot apply more than once, but you can list your first and second choice of events to attend. You cannot be a Storm Leader for more than one event.

The deadline for applications is 11:59 PM (U.S. Pacific Time) on September 27th.

We will review all of the applications and offer Storm Leader positions to people within a week after the deadline. This should hopefully give you enough time to get the day/afternoon/evening off from work or other commitments.

Here are a list of the book tour events. For specific times and locations go here.

BYU Bookstore, Provo, UT (Tuesday, October 27th, Midnight)
Barnes & Noble, Charleston, SC (Tuesday, October 27th)
Borders, Chicago, IL (Wednesday, October 28th)
Books-a-Million, Baltimore, MD (Thursday, October 29th)
Barnes & Noble, Minneapolis, MN (Friday, October 30th)
West Charleston Library, Las Vegas, NV (Saturday, Oct 31st)
Tattered Cover, Denver, CO (Sunday, Nov. 1st)
Sam Weller’s Bookstore, Salt Lake City, UT (Monday, Nov. 2nd)
Borders, Washington, D.C. (Wednesday, Nov. 4th)
Harvard Coop, Boston, MA (Thursday, Nov. 5th)
Chester County Books, Philadelphia, PA (Friday, Nov. 6th)
Toadstool Book Shop, Milford, NH (Saturday, Nov. 7th)
Barnes & Noble (Union Square), NYC (Monday, Nov. 9th)
Joseph-Beth Booksellers, Lexington, KY (Tuesday, Nov. 10th)
Books & Co., Dayton, OH (Wednesday, Nov. 11th)
Norcross Cultural Arts Center, Atlanta, GA (Friday, Nov. 13th)
Borders, Dallas, TX (Saturday, Nov. 14th)
Mysterious Galaxy, San Diego, CA (Sunday, Nov. 15th)
Scottsdale Public Library, Phoenix, AZ (Monday, Nov. 16th)
Vroman’s Bookstore, Los Angeles, CA (Tuesday, Nov. 17th)
University Book Store, Seattle, WA (Wednesday, Nov. 18th)
Powell’s Books, Portland, OR (Thursday, Nov. 19th)
Bay Book Company, Half Moon Bay, CA (Friday, Nov. 20th)
Barnes & Noble, San Jose, CA (Saturday, Nov. 21st)

Storm Leader Application
If you cannot see the application form below, click here.

All week we have been reporting tweeting that there would be a total of SIX major announcements related to The Wheel of Time this week.

The first of these news items was the article we posted about Brandon and Harriet’s U.S. book tour. Be sure to check that out if you would like to come meet them in person.

Now here are the remaining FIVE announcements as announced at DragonCon this evening. We will post more details about each over the next few days and/or weeks.

1. CHAPTER ONE of The Gathering Storm is NOW AVAILABLE for FREE on Tor.com. On September 4th at 9:30 PM (EST, GMT -5), you can go to Tor.com to get it. You will need to register with their site, but it is free to do so. Don’t miss this opportunity to start reading the book TONIGHT. (And you thought you had plans on Friday night, huh?) Chapter 1 will remain on Tor.com through the end of October. An audio version is also available via the same link.
2. The PROLOGUE to The Gathering Storm will be available as an eBook purchase beginning on September 17th. The price will be $2.99 and will be available from Amazon.com, BN.com, Tor.com, as well as other online vendors.
3. Tor will be releasing the ENTIRE Wheel of Time series in various eBook formats beginning with the release of The Eye of the World beginning on October 27th. Each book will be released in series order on a monthly basis after that. The text of the books has been optimized for the ebook reading experience, and retain all illustrations and maps from the physical books. Pricing is not yet available
4. And that’s not all — Each of the WoT eBooks mentioned above (not the TGS prologue) will include new “cover art” by different professional artists. Tor is commissioning a different artist for each book, so you’ll see brand new art for each one of the books in the series. Here are the details for the artists of the first four books:
   

   THE EYE OF THE WORLD
   David Grove
   http://www.stock-illustration-portfolios.com/artistPage/Grove_David.html
   Illustrators Hall of Fame.
   Known for work in National Geographic, advertising, and movie posters including Something Wicked This Way Comes and The Outsiders.

   THE GREAT HUNT
   Kekai Kotaki
   Spectrum award winner.
   Lead Concept Artist for ArenaNet on Guild Wars 2.
   http://www.kekaiart.com/
   http://kekai.blogspot.com/

   THE DRAGON REBORN
   Donato Giancola
   http://www.donatoart.com/
   bio: http://www.tor.com/bios/artists/donato
   Multiple Spectrum and Hugo Award Winner, and Hamilton King award winner.

   THE SHADOW RISING
   Sam Weber
   Society of Illustrators and Spectrum award winner.
   http://www.sampaints.com/

5. Dragonmount is proud to announce a very special opportunity for WoT fans. We are working closely with the gang at Tor to put together a team of Storm Leaders for each city that Brandon visits on The Gathering Storm tour. These Storm Leaders will be fans (like you!) who will get to meet Brandon and/or Harriet before the bookstore event begins (food and drinks to be provided). This will be a small, intimate gathering, only about 4-5 people per city, where you can also get your books signed. Because in return, during the actual event, you’ll help us photograph and blog about the event, so that other fans can read about it on DM and other sites. There will also be other responsibilities outside of that, details of which to come next week. Storm Leaders will also receive a limited edition TGS Storm Leader Tour t-shirt™ and bragging rights to all your friends.

   Dragonmount will be accepting applications for Storm Leaders beginning sometime next week. It’s free to participate and sign up. We’ll post a lot more information next week about how you sign up, what’s required,and what we’re looking for from candidates.

You may be wondering why Tor is releasing Chapter 1 before the prologue? Yes, technically that’s out of order. The prologue is about 20,000 words, while Chapter 1 is only a few thousand (ie, much shorter). Be forewarned: Although you will have no problems whatsoever following along, chapter 1 does begin after a short scene takes place in the prologue.

Regarding the book covers: this new art will be exclusive to the eBooks for now. There are no plans to print new editions of the books themselves with the new art. Darryl K Sweet (who has illustrated the other books in the series) will most likely be asked to paint the covers for books 13 and book 14. Tor remains committed to exploring the idea of doing all new art for the series after the final book is published.

Finally, Brandon reported on twitter today that the new title of book 13 has been approved by Harriet and is now going to Tor for approval as well. (Tor needs to make sure the title doesn’t conflict with other recently published books, and that it doesn’t bother the booksellers. Yes, book sellers have a lot of say on book titles believe it or not)

So… what do you think? Not too bad, eh?

The Gathering Storm will be released in hardcover in the U.S, Canada, U.K. and other locations on October 27th.

More Info

• Pre-Order The Gathering Storm from Amazon.com (and help support this site)
• Read our Review of the book
• The Gathering Storm Info Page
• Downloadable Recap of Books 1-11 (PDF)
• Discuss the book on our forums
• Listen to us talk about #WoT and #TGS all day on Twitter

Tor Books announced the schedule for the upcoming U.S. book tour that Brandon Sanderson and Harriet will be going on when THE GATHERING STORM is released. See below for the exact locations and dates.

Brandon will be at every book signings, but Harriet will only be at the marked events.

BYU Bookstore, Provo, UT
Tuesday, October 27th: Midnight
Wilkinson Student Center (WSC)
Brigham Young University
University Hill,
Provo, Utah 84602
(801) 422-2400

Barnes & Noble, Charleston, SC
Harriet to attend
Tuesday, October 27th: 7:00 PM
7620 Rivers Ave
Charleston, SC 29406
(843) 572-2322

Borders, Chicago, IL
Wednesday, October 28th: 7:30 PM
1500 16th Street, Suite D
Oak Brook, IL 60523
(630) 574-0800

Books-a-Million, Baltimore, MD
Harriet to attend
Thursday, October 29th: 7:00 PM
7000 Arundel Mills Cir
Hanover, MD 21076-1282
(443) 755-0210

Barnes & Noble, Minneapolis, MN
Friday, October 30th: 7:00 PM
HarHar Mall
2100 North Snelling Ave
Roseville, MN 55113
(651) 639-9256

West Charleston Library, Las Vegas, NV
Saturday, Oct 31st: 2:00 PM
6301 W. Charleston Blvd.
Las Vegas, NV 89146
(702) 507-3940

Tattered Cover, Denver, CO
Sunday, Nov. 1st: 2:00 PM
1628 16th Street
Denver, CO 80202
(303) 436-1070

Sam Weller’s Bookstore, Salt Lake City, UT
Monday, Nov. 2nd: 6:30 PM
254 South Main Street
Salt Lake City, UT 84101
(801) 328-2586

Borders, Washington, D.C.
Wednesday, Nov. 4th: 7:30 PM
5871 Crossroads Center Way
Baileys Crossroads, VA 22041
(703) 998-0404

Harvard Coop, Boston, MA
Thursday, Nov. 5th: 7:00 PM
1400 Massachusetts Avenue
18 Palmer Street
Cambridge, MA 02238
(617)499-2000

Chester County Books, Philadelphia, PA
Friday, Nov. 6th: 7:00 PM
975 Paoli Pike
West Goshen Center
West Chester, PA 19380
(610) 696-1661

Toadstool Book Shop, Milford, NH
Saturday, Nov. 7th: 2:00 PM
586 Nashua St.
Lorden Plaza
Milford, NH 03055
(603) 673-1734

Barnes & Noble (Union Square), NYC
Harriet to attend
Monday, Nov. 9th: 7:00 PM
33 East 17th Street
New York, NY 10003
(212) 253-0810

Joseph-Beth Booksellers, Lexington, KY
Harriet to attend
Tuesday, Nov. 10th: 7:00 PM
161 Lexington Green Cir # B
Lexington, KY 40503-3325
(859) 273-2911

Books & Co., Dayton, OH
Wednesday, Nov. 11th: 7:00 PM
at The Greene
4453 Walnut Street
Dayton, OH 45440
(937) 429-2169

Norcross Cultural Arts Center, Atlanta, GA
Harriet to attend
Friday, Nov. 13th: 7:00 PM
10 College Street
Norcross, GA 30071
(678) 421-2025

Borders, Dallas, TX
Harriet to attend
Saturday, Nov. 14th: 2:00 PM
10720 Preston Road
Dallas, TX 75230
(214) 363-1977

Mysterious Galaxy, San Diego, CA
Sunday, Nov. 15th: 2:00 PM
7051 Clairemont Mesa Boulevard
San Diego, CA 92111
(858) 268-4747

Scottsdale Public Library, Phoenix, AZ
Monday, Nov. 16th: 7:00 PM
Civic Center Auditorium
3839 N. Drinkwater Blvd.
Scottsdale, AZ 85251
(480) 947-2974

Vroman’s Bookstore, Los Angeles, CA
Tuesday, Nov. 17th: 7:00 PM
695 E. Colorado Blvd
Pasadena, CA 91101
(626) 449-5320

University Book Store, Seattle, WA
Wednesday, Nov. 18th: 7:00 PM
4326 University Way NE
Seattle, WA 98105
(206) 634-3400

Powell’s Books, Portland, OR
Thursday, Nov. 19th: 7:00 PM
Cedar Hills Crossing
3415 SW Cedar Hills Blvd
Beaverton, OR 97005
(503) 228-4651

Bay Book Company, Half Moon Bay, CA
Harriet to attend
Friday, Nov. 20th: 7:00 PM
80 North Cabrillo Hwy, Suite F
Half Moon Bay, CA 94019
(650) 726-3488

Barnes & Noble, San Jose, CA
Harriet to attend
Saturday, Nov. 21st: 2:00 PM
2200 Eastridge Loop
San Jose, CA 95122
(408) 270-9470

For long-time fans of the series, you may have noticed that there are cities on this list which have never had a Wheel of Time book signing event before. Tor made a big effort to go to some new locations this time, and I know suggestions all of you played a big role is helping to decide where they went.

Wait, there’s more!
There will be a big announcement this weekend at DragonCon with regards to the tour and how YOU (yes, YOU) can get some really awesome opportunities. Keep checking our news page over the weekend and look for several announcements.

More Info

• Pre-Order The Gathering Storm from Amazon.com (and help support this site)
• Read our Review of the book
• The Gathering Storm Info Page
• Downloadable Recap of Books 1-11 (PDF)
• Discuss the book on our forums
• Listen to us talk about #WoT and #TGS all day on Twitter

Tor Books announced today that the release date for THE GATHERING STORM has been moved up a week. The new on-sale date for the book in the U.S. (and probably everywhere else) is:

We have confirmed that the unabridged audio book will be available in the U.S. on the release day as well. Previously, we confirmed that the book would be available in the U.K. and Australia on Nov 3. With this new release date, it is highly likely that it will be available on Oct 27th as well.

More Info

• Pre-Order The Gathering Storm from Amazon.com (and help support this site)
• Read our Review of the book
• The Gathering Storm Info Page
• Downloadable Recap of Books 1-11 (PDF)
• Discuss the book on our forums

Since Robert Jordan passed away, there have been reports and speculation about what would become of the “other” Wheel of Time novels he had been planning. The topic came to light at JordanCon last April when Harriet, Brandon Sanderson, and Tom Doherty discussed the possibility of WoT books being published after A Memory of Light (the final book in the main series).

The topic came up again recently this week when Dominic, from the Thirteenth Depository website, posted a report from his trip to the WorldCon convention. It has also been further discussed on different forums and blogs, such as the Keeping the Door blog.

Obviously there’s a lot of speculation going on. So we asked Brandon if he could please summarize and explain where things are. Here’s what he said.

There’s been a lot of talk going on about other wot books, specifically the Outriggers and the other two Prequel novels. I’ve talked about this on my blog before, but I’ve been vague and–I worry–self contradictory. So perhaps it’s time to do a definitive/updated post dealing with these topics. This trumps anything else that has been said before.

By way of clarification for those who don’t know what we’re talking about there, before he passed away, Mr. Jordan spoke with Tor (and even signed contracts) regarding some other books set in the WoT universe. The talk was originally centered on the three prequels Mr. Jordan wanted to write (New Spring, which was published, was the first of these three.) Later, Mr. Jordan shifted the discussion to something called “The Outriggers” which were within WoT continuity, taking place after the end of the series. They were to deal with some certain characters from the main storyline, expanding on their lives. (I’m being vague to save spoiling too much for those who don’t want to know. Some few minor details regarding the Outriggers have been released; you can find them without too much trouble.)

So fans have begun asking if these books are going to get written. I think that Harriet and I are on the same page when we say we’ve got our hands full with the three books of A MEMORY OF LIGHT. Really, this is big enough a project for now, and all of our energies are focused on making certain these last novels are everything they need to be.

That doesn’t answer your questions though, does it? Will the other books get written? Here’s where we get vague, because I simply can’t tell you a yes or a no.

The decision will be Harriet’s. She gets to make the call. And since all of her energy is focused on these last three books, I suspect we’re not going to know the fate of the Outriggers or the Prequels for some time yet. I’m afraid you’ll just have to be patient.

At JordanCon, Tom Doherty (CEO of Tor) mentioned the Outriggers and how excited he is for them. (They would be about his favorite character.) Tom has been very involved in the WoT all through its life, and is a huge fan. Tor doesn’t work like a lot of other publishing companies; it has very much a ’small press’ feel to it, with Tom being very involved in everything the company does. He isn’t just the publisher of the WoT; he was deep personal friends with Mr. Jordan.

Tom wants the Outriggers. That’s a big deal, one that I suspect with greatly influence Harriet’s decision. But that doesn’t mean that it’s a given that the books will be written.

Personally, I’ve taken a slightly different road when talking to Harriet. I don’t want to see the Wheel of Time turn into an eternal franchise. I said this last weekend at my signing in Montreal. Part of the value of a great work of art is, in my opinion, the ending. An ending loses power if it isn’t allowed to be…well, the END. Beyond that, Robert Jordan was very uncomfortable with people writing in his world. If we were to turn this into “Book of the Month, McWheel of Time” I think it would be dishonoring his memory.

I haven’t specifically told Harriet not to do the Outriggers. That isn’t my place. When she’s asked for my input, I’ve said “My suggestion is to be very, very careful. I would err on the side of protecting Jim’s legacy, and don’t know if it would be appropriate to do any more books.” However, if she asks me to do them, I will most probably say yes.

Why? Well, a couple of reasons. My soul is not part of the Wheel of Time. This series is NOT mine–it is Harriet’s and it is yours. But my soul is in there, and it would be very hard to let someone else write it. Almost as hard as it would be to let go of another series. My reasoning would be the same as my reasoning behind picking up AMOL in the first place. If Mr. Jordan’s not here, I want to make certain that someone who respects the series is writing on it.

Yes, I’m hesitant about further books in the WoT. Not because I’m hesitant about the books themselves–I, like a lot of the fans, would LOVE to see these stories Jim promised us. My concern is for Mr. Jordan’s legacy. However, that’s not my decision. If Harriet feels that doing the Outriggers (or the prequels) is all right, then I will accept her take on it and will move forward. She is the keeper of the legacy of the Wheel of Time. She gets to decide which projects would be exploiting the series, and which would be expanding and growing things that Jim himself wanted done. She will have my complete support in whatever she decides, just as if Mr. Jordan himself were here to decide what he wanted to do with his series.

Notice that the conversation has shifted away from the prequels and toward the Outriggers. Originally, I thought the prequels were more likely, but after talking to Harriet and Tom, I think the Outriggers are the more likely project that would get done. IF one gets done.

I have told Harriet, and I have repeated it on blogs, that I would say no (though it would hurt to do so) if a decision were made to go beyond the Outriggers and the prequels.

But please, understand. There has been very little talk of these things. AMOL is what NEEDS to be done. Everything else would be a completely different conversation. I’m trying to be frank and explore the topic for you, and have gone on perhaps too long on it. I would suggest leaving the bulk of the discussion until after AMOL is out.

If we see any more books, it would be years in the future, and would only be done after a great deal more consideration and thought. I haven’t looked at (nor asked for) the notes regarding the Outriggers or the prequels. We’re just not there yet. Please, let us do what we’re doing here first, then let us get some rest before making us decide about something as emotional (on both sides of the decision) as the Outriggers or prequels.

Best,

Brandon Sanderson

So what do think? Should there be WoT novels beyond A MEMORY OF LIGHT?

A lot of you have been asking for a handy document to help remind you of what’s been happening in the Wheel of Time story. So we got together with our friend Bob Kluttz from Encyclopedia WoT and crafted just such a document.

The document is a PDF that describes how each character and plot thread was left off as of the end of Knife of Dreams. It’s designed to print nicely if you want to do that. Click the image below to take a look.

BTW – Some of you may recognize it as an update to the document we put put out last time when Knife of Dreams was about to be released. When Book 13 is closer to coming out, well update this document for that book as well.

We received a press release this morning from Red Eagle Games, the makers of the proposed Wheel of Time video game.

Los Angeles, Calif.—Aug. 4, 2009— Red Eagle Games announced today that film industry veteran Chris Morgan has been engaged by Red Eagle Games as Story Director for the company’s forthcoming videogames derived from the rich assortment of characters and storylines from Robert Jordan’s beloved fantasy book series, The Wheel of Time. Based in Los Angeles, Morgan has worked in the film industry for nearly decade. His films have grossed nearly one billion dollars in worldwide box- office receipts. Morgan’s screenwriting credits include Cellular, The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, Wanted and Fast and Furious. In addition to his involvement with Red Eagle Games, Morgan is currently working on the big-screen adaptation of video game Gears of War, the next installment in the Fast and Furious franchise, and samurai action movie 47 Ronin.

In addition, Morgan will be joining veteran Electronic Arts Executive Tom Frisina; Barry Hirsch, a leader in the field of entertainment law; entertainment consumer products marketing and branding expert Peter Dang; Keith Boesky, founder and principal of video game consultancy Boesky & Company; and IBM Serious Games Program Manager Phaedra Boinodiris on the Red Eagle Games Advisory Council. Red Eagle Games has carefully assembled the Council to complement and support the Red Eagle Games management team’s skills and backgrounds, and the council members represent decades of experience in new media, entertainment and technology.

“As a massive fan of The Wheel of Time series, and a lifelong gamer, I jumped at the chance to be part of the Red Eagle Games team,” Morgan said. “The world that Robert Jordan created is so rich, the characters and storylines so varied and inventive, that I feel like a kid in a candy store. It’s really a dream opportunity for me.” Along with the Universal Pictures feature film, to be produced by Red Eagle Entertainment executives Rick Selvage and Larry Mondragon, a line of stand- alone Wheel of Time games is in the works for all major videogame platforms, including consoles, personal computers, handheld systems and wireless devices, to be distributed by Electronic Arts. In addition, Red Eagle Games intends to launch and operate a massively multiplayer online role- playing game encompassing the themes, characters and world of The Wheel of Time novels.

The details of Jordan’s meticulously crafted series have captivated readers since 1990, when The Eye of the World, the first book in the series, was published. Eleven additional books, including one prequel, have since been added to the series and have consistently appeared on the New York Times Bestseller List with the last four of his novels in the series debuting at No. 1. Jordan passed away in 2007 at the age of 58, but his publisher, Tor Books, recently announced that a final trilogy of novels will bring his epic series to its long-awaited climax. The next installment in the series, entitled The Gathering Storm, is expected to be published in November of 2009 by Tor Books. This novel is being finished by fantasy writer Brandon Sanderson using notes, audio recordings and draft materials left with Jordan’s wife and editor, Harriet Rigney. Jordan’s wildly popular books have been translated into 24 languages, and have sold about 44 million copies worldwide. According to Tor Books, the
publisher of The Wheel of Time novels, there are about 65,000 The Wheel of Time fan Web sites as a part of a vast global on-line fan community.

About Red Eagle Games
Based in Southern California, Red Eagle Games is a new video game studio initially undertaking the transformation of Jordan’s literary masterpiece “The Wheel of Time” into high-quality interactive gaming products for the personal computer, game consoles, mobile and wireless devices, and online play. Red Eagle Games was founded by Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Rick Selvage and Chief Operating Officer Larry Mondragon, who are also producing a live-action motion picture for Universal Pictures based upon The Wheel of Time.

Chris Morgan’s IMDB page
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It would be an understatement to say that a lot has happened since Knife of Dreams. It’s been nearly four years since the release of what Robert Jordan believed was going to be his penultimate novel in The Wheel of Time series, and nearly two years since he passed away. Two very long years. But the Wheel weaves as the Wheel wills. The story is not yet done, and there is more to be told. Much of Robert Jordan’s life was tied to these books, and it was important to him, I believe, to see them done.

I’m not going to recap the news that has led to the publication of this novel. Most likely you already know the story. But in case you haven’t, check out our Gathering Storm info page, which has a summary of how this book was written, why it’s not the last in the series, and why it’s not titled A Memory of Light. Once you’re educated on all that, come on back here and we’ll talk about what happens next.

Over the years I’ve seen, as many of you have, a huge amount of hype surrounding the release of new WoT novels. Nothing in all these years has come close to the attention that the newest novel, The Gathering Storm, is going to receive. Like the title suggests, there is already a restless calm in the air as fans hold their breaths, waiting. Fans who have not read the books in years are now re-emerging to see how things will play out. Long time, die-hard fans sit and debate over the news articles that come and go. Despite remarkable efforts by RJ’s family to keep fans informed throughout the entire writing process, the question still remains: will this new novel be a worthy installment to the series? Is Brandon Sanderson, the young author who was tapped to finish it, up to par? Will this book feel like a Robert Jordan novel?

I have these answers.

I have read The Gathering Storm. And I will share.

But first things first.

Before you read my review, I need to give you full disclosure. It’s important to remember my point of view. I’m running a large fan site for a book series that is very near and dear to my heart. Over the years I came to know Robert Jordan, and am proud to have had him call me friend. I am close to Harriet, his widow, as well as to other members of his family and staff. I consider Brandon Sanderson to be my friend (as long as he lets me win a few MAGIC: The Gathering games anyway). I am affiliated with Tor Books (Robert Jordan’s U.S. publisher) via personal relationships, small business deals, and as of recently, their website, Tor.com, for which I occasionally blog. That said, I have not ever accepted money or other payment from them to promote, endorse, or write nice things about their Wheel of Time products.

So, with all that in mind, I tell you truthfully: My review below is for you, the reader who wants the truth, and not the hype. I am not here to sell you the book. I am here to tell you, as one fan to another, what you can expect from this new installment in the WoT series. While the facts of my disclosure above will never make me completely neutral, I promise you that my primary responsibility and obligation remains, as always, to give it to you straight. Like you, I am a fan first and foremost.

Okay? Are we good? All set? Then here we go.

The Gathering Storm is, in my opinion, quite easily one of the most intense and exciting books in the entire Wheel of Time series. Yes, you read that right. I avoided writing this review right after I finished reading. Instead, I purposely waited some time to let the initial rush and enjoyment wear off. It certainly has cooled a great deal, but I can still say with grounded and sober confidence that the book is outstanding. I would rank it up there in the top 4 in the series along with The Shadow Rising, The Fires of Heaven, and The Great Hunt. Pacing-wise, I would agree with Brandon Sanderson’s statement that it’s similar to books 4-6 in the series.

(Warning! Minor spoilers ahead. Skip down a bit if you don’t want to read them)

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Start of Spoilers
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The story brings focus back to the characters that need it, most notably Rand. Last we had seen the poor guy, he had built up a thick stone wall against his emotions, had his hand blown off, and was nearly blinded by one of the Forsaken. On his blog, Robert Jordan described Rand and his situation like this:

The world and the forces of the Light are in bad shape. At this point, boys and girls, the Shadow is winning. There are glimmers of hope, but only glimmers, and they MUST pay off for the Light to win. All the Shadow needs for victory is for matters to keep on as they have been going thus far and one or two of those glimmers to fade or be extinguished. The forces of the Light are on the ropes, and they don’t even know everything the Dark One has up his sleeve.

Think of it this way. The bell is about to ring for the fifteenth round, and the Light is so far behind on points the only way to win is a knockout. Our boy is game, but he’s wobbly on his legs and bleeding from cuts over his eyes. Now he has three minutes to pull out his best stuff and deliver the punch of his life. The Dark One has taken a few shots, but nothing that has really damaged him. He’s still dancing on his toes and talking trash. His head shots can fracture a skull, and his body punches can break ribs. And now he’s ready to unveil his surprises. You didn’t think all it would take is for Rand to show up at the Last Battle, did you? According to the Prophecies, the Light has no chance without him, but his presence doesn’t ensure victory, just that the Light has a chance. Gotta stiffen your legs and blink the blood out of your eyes. Gotta suck it up and find that punch. Three minutes to go, and you gotta find that knockout. That’s your only chance.

If you thought Rand was hard before, you haven’t seen anything yet. As I read this new book, my heart just went out to him. I was completely engaged as I witnessed him go deeper and deeper into depression and insanity. We’ve all known that Rand has been going the wrong way emotionally for a long time. But in this new novel, Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson took him to a place I never thought he would go. There is a scene towards the middle of the book that was so dramatic and intense, that I … I don’t even know to say it. As a long time fan of the novels, it rocked me to read it. I had to set the book down and let it soak in. Remember the intensity of Dumai’s Wells at the end of Lord of Chaos? This is like that, minus the armies. I am certain that in the years ahead, we’ll run polls on DM for the “Best Scenes in the Series”, and this will be one of the popular choices. Trust me. You’ll know it when you read it.

It’s not just about one exciting scene though. Every single chapter is well written, and most of them are totally engaging. (Though to be fair, the chapters I’m thinking of which weren’t usually featured Gawyn. And I was more annoyed with him than anything else. I suppose you could argue that I was engaged in wanting to smack that character. But then again… there was that one chapter where he… well, did some cool sword stuff. That was certainly engaging). The point is that this isn’t a book where you slug through pages for a dozen chapters, read an exciting part, and then have to dig through another ten. This is far more evened out, with carefully crafted arcs that begin and end within the confines of this single volume. There are dozens of intense or exciting scenes scattered throughout. By the end of the prologue, fans will be chattering away. By the time you get to Mat’s adventures to a certain location (I’m not saying A THING about where that might be!!!), the theory forums and theoryland.com will be bursting at the seams.

Whereas I loved every chapter devoted to Rand (easily half of the book, if not more), it was Egwene who stole the show for me. To describe what she goes through, what’s revealed to her, and what she chooses to do in the end, would be far too spoilerish to get into, but suffice to say that it was dynamic and highly enjoyable. I confess that I had a lot of fun going through all the online theories related to her and the White Tower, reading them and being able to separate the ones that turned out to be accurate from the ones that weren’t. There weren’t very many wholly accurate ones. In fact, none.

Most of the main characters are present in this novel and have at least one or two chapters from their point of view. At least one is completely absent, but I’ll let you debate who it is. Just like I’ll let you try and interpret who the “main characters” are.

Oh, and regarding Asmodean….

…

RAFO.

(Heh. I’ve always wanted to do that.)

And finally, as Harriet told us at JordanCon, I can confirm that there are not one, but TWO climaxes at the end of this book. Big ones. Both are events we’ve been waiting for for a long time.

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End of Spoilers
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So now the other burning question: does this feel like a Robert Jordan novel? Does it have his “voice”? Well, truthfully, I thought the prose stayed very true to previous novels. But ultimately you’re going to be the judge on that. Brandon Sanderson has gone on record several times saying that he is not trying to mimic Robert Jordan’s voice. That doing so would just be parody. What he set out to do, and what I think he accomplished, was to tap into that font of story and events in the universe that previously had been experienced and documented by Robert Jordan. Rather than trying to make himself and his style like RJ, it seems like Brandon put himself into the heart of the saga and allowed himself to be its vessel and storyteller. The result is that this book is clearly and undeniably a novel which belongs in the WoT series. There were only a few times where I suspected the scene I was reading was entirely from Brandon’s imagination. We may never learn which specific sequences he had to invent entirely, but in the end, you probably won’t notice or even care. It’s pretty seamless in that regard. If you have read Brandon’s other novels, you’ll probably pick out pieces of text that phrase things in a way that “sound” more like his writing. Some character names sound like they might be from the Mistborn world rather than Randland. And some characters, for me, were not exactly as I pictured them. The strange thing about that though, was that another person closely tied to the project said that they thought a certain character “was off” and I thought that character was perfectly represented. On the other hand, characters I felt were different seemed spot on to that person. So no matter what I say about it, you are going to bring your own experience and vision of each character with you, and whether or not you agree with their interpretation in Gathering Storm is up in the air.

The most obvious fact in all of this is that Brandon put his heart into this book. Even though it’s a thick tome, none of it feels padded or rushed. Before he was the writer tasked with finishing this series, he was a fan like you and me. He clearly knows what fans like and dislike, and has crafted a novel that primarily follows in the footsteps of its predecessor while also delivering in a way that he knows will go over well with the crowds. (And to be fair, a lot of that insight was probably shared by Robert Jordan as well. Knife of Dreams was a great book that had a lot of steam behind it.)

I am saddened by the thought that this part of the series will inevitably play out differently than if Robert Jordan were still with us. It’s a loss that fans will always feel and wonder about; maybe it could loosely be described as a “wound that cannot heal.” I suspect that Brandon himself feels that more keenly than most. However, after literally just a few chapters, I was reassured. Guided by a strong plot outline, familiar characters, and a knowledge of the franchise that was honed to a razor sharp edge by lots of research, it became quickly apparent to me (or “intuitively obvious to the most casual observer”) that Brandon was the best person in the world to take this gig, and that he did as fine as a job as was even possible. For that, I am his biggest fan…. until November 3rd at least, at which point you will be.

In the end though, I suspect that all thought of voice and different styles will fade away as you follow that familiar opening wind in chapter one. You’ll reunite with these characters we’ve been following and once again become completely immersed in the struggles and adventures of this great saga. There’s no doubt that The Gathering Storm deserves an equal place on your top shelf next to the previous eleven volumes. Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson have crafted a remarkable novel fraught with dark, foreboding themes that will remind you why you first fell in love with the series to begin with. Even though we know it’s Brandon who pulled the actual words together, this is undeniably Robert Jordan’s work, and perhaps one of his best.

- Jason Denzel (jason@dragonmount.com)

Updated: Listen to an hour-long audio interview with me on DM’s 4th Age Podcast, where I discuss (and reveal a tiny bit more) of The Gathering Storm

Some Useful Links

• The Gathering Storm info page
• Pre-Order the book from Amazon.com (and help support DM)
• Discuss this review on our forums (or feel free to comment below)
• Follow Jennifer Liang and I as we talk about WoT on Twitter

Dabel Brothers Publishing has given us an exclusive first look at some of the upcoming Eye of the World graphic novel covers.

These images were created by fan-favorite artists Seamas Gallagher and Jeremy Salbia.

The first few Eye of the World issues are available to purchase from our online store. We will be adding more issues for order as they becomes available.

Click on each image to see a larger version.